To Arthur, From Kiku:
A Tale of Two Island Nations
Full Summary:
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 had been a historical event that was signed by two nations as a mark of their opposition to Russian expansion. This is the story of two island nations first getting together because of an alliance, getting closer because of affection, and tearing away from each other because of the right love at the wrong time.
Warnings: Language and slight historical inaccuracy
Pairings: AsaKiku, one-sided USUK
Genre: Romance & Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own APH. All rights reserved by all concerned parties.
Chapter One: 1902-1905
Main Points:
-The Signing of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance
-The Russo-Japanese War
You already know the story of why the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was established, right? It is about two countries that vowed to stand by each other whenever the other is in danger, except in very special circumstances.
But do you know what happened between the two island nations of England and Japan during and after the alliance? I bet you don't, unless if you're a world history major or a really voracious reader upon the subject. I wasn't either of the aforementioned, but I've been there when the two nations pledged their status as allies and when the two nations became sworn friends, when they became sworn lovers, and also when circumstances forced them to become sworn enemies.
So shall we?
"Article One: The High Contracting parties, having mutually recognized the independence of China and Korea, declare themselves to be entirely uninfluenced by aggressive tendencies in either country, having in view, however, their special interests, of which those of Great Britain relate principally to China, whilst Japan, in addition to the interests which she possesses in China, is interested in a peculiar degree, politically as well as commercially and industrially in Korea, the High Contracting parties recognize that it will be admissible for either of them to take such measures as may be indispensable in order to safeguard those interests if threatened either by the aggressive action of any other Power, or by disturbances arising in China or Korea, and necessitating the intervention of either of the High Contracting parties for the protection of the lives and properties of its subjects.
"Article Two: Declaration of neutrality if either signatory becomes involved in war through Article One.
"Article Three: Promise of support if either signatory becomes involved in war with more than one Power.
"Article Four: Signatories promise not to enter into separate agreements with other Powers to the prejudice of this alliance.
"Article Five: The signatories promise to communicate frankly and fully with each other when any of the interests affected by this treaty are in jeopardy.
"Article Six: Treaty to remain in force for five years and then at one years' notice, unless notice was given at the end of the fourth year."
Those are the contents of the Anglo-Japanese treaty. England, or Arthur Kirkland to close friends and human acquaintances, had read it over just the one time before agreeing to it. He had agreed to it before the treaty was put in black and white, anyway, and it was no point on backing out now. The Anglo-Japanese alliance was favored by the British and Japanese peoples alike, and Arthur was glad that their citizens thought that this was a worthy alliance.
Kiku Honda, the personification of the Empire of Japan, had been quiet for the whole time while the signing was going on. Arthur rather thought that the Asian looked a bit nervous which was highly unusual for him, his slender hands trembling on his lap. Maybe he was thinking about the contents of the treaty too. Kiku and Arthur had agreed that they will support each other and become allies whenever one of them gets involved in a war against another country, unless in special circumstances as mentioned in the first article. Also, Arthur was unwilling to protect Kiku's interests in Korea and likewise Kiku was unwilling to support Arthur in India. So they called it quits.
Arthur himself had been a little unsure of the treaty first, because Kiku was a bold island nation despite his gentle appearance, and his rising military strength was now worrying the usually oblivious America (Alfred F. Jones on his phonebook). He can't decide what to do if Japan suddenly decided to wage war on Alfred. His boss had reminded him that it was probable, and that the United Kingdom will not act on the alliance once Japan attacks his former charge. Arthur felt bad about it, but his boss had been wary of going out of 'splendid isolation', so it was understandable that his boss wanted to be out of trouble for as long as they could.
Kiku's boss hadn't been comfortable with the treaty because he wanted to have an Asian nation as Japan's ally, such as Russia, so that Alfred, who was getting uneasy with Kiku's rising power, can be appeased.
It was, all in all, a warily signed alliance, but Arthur still remembered all the events leading up to this day in 1902 with some fondness.
The Empires of Japan and Britain had began their discussions about establishing the alliance in July 1901, but some disputes over their interests in Korea and India had delayed them until November.
When they were already settling their disputes, Arthur had thought then that things were now going smoothly, since he was hitting it off well with Kiku.
But at this point, Kiku's boss had requested a delay in negotiations in order to attempt a reconciliation with Ivan Braginski, or Russia's scary personification.
Arthur had been shocked to hear that news. He had half a mind to just go back to splendid isolation. But Kiku boss's attempts to chat Ivan up were mostly unsuccessful, and Arthur began expressing his boss's concerns over duplicity on Japan's part, so Kiku hurriedly re-entered negotiations in 1902.
He can still remember that night when Kiku visited him so late at night to tell him that he would like to have an alliance with Arthur and that his boss's outrageous actions had not been discussed with him.
Arthur smiled softly at the memory. Kiku would be a worthy alliance. He will show Ivan and the bloody French frog Francis that the pirate gentleman had still not lost his bite.
The alliance was announced to the other nations two days before Valentine's day, or February 12 of the year 1902. During the announcement, Arthur was as proud and pompous as if the two island nations had announced that they were secretly married. In contrast, Kiku was shy and blushing when they showed the treaty to the others. Of course, some nations have reacted to this strategic alliance in different ways.
Ivan, of course, was not pleased with the results of the said alliance, since Arthur, convinced that the British Empire dominated the seas, began to restrict naval competition by keeping the Russian Pacific seaports of Vladivostok and Port Arthur (aptly named) from their full use.
So in response to Arthur and Kiku's cunning move, Russia had sought to form alliances with Francis and Ludwig. Ludwig, however, had decided to decline Ivan's offer too. Ludwig evidently hadn't been too keen with the idea of "being one with Russia, da?"
On March 16, 1902, a mutual pact was finally signed between the nations of France and Russia. It was noticeably completed faster than the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, as if it was a desperate measure on their part.
Yao and Alfred, however, were strongly opposed to Francis and Ivan's alliance. Alfred had even called Francis in the dead of night at Paris to cry and yell, "Why, Francis, WHY? I thought we were cool dudes?"
Francis had noted that Alfred had eerily sounded like Feliciano back then.
But Ivan had underestimated the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. Kiku's alliance with Arthur also meant, in part, that if any nation allied itself with the Russian Empire during any war with the Empire of Japan, then Great Britain would enter the war on Japan's side.
Ivan could no longer count on receiving help from either Ludwig or Francis without there being a danger of Arthur's involvement with the war. With such an alliance, Kiku, who was a shrewd nation in his own right, had felt free to commence hostilities on Ivan's territories, if necessary.
Thus, the nature of the Anglo-Japanese alliance meant that Francis was unable to come to Ivan's aid in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 as this would have meant going to war with Arthur too.
February 1904. The Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan had begun clashing mightily, Kiku's bayonet glinting silver whenever he struck a Russian soldier down.
Arthur had hated to admit that he hadn't the authority to do anything to help Kiku and was worried about his ally's condition ever since the war ignited, but Kiku sent him short letters in regular intervals telling him that the Oriental nation was okay. Kiku's written English was getting better as time went on, Arthur had noted.
The letters ran like this:
To Mr Arthur Kirkland:
I'm sorry if I had sent this letter a bit late. It was supposed to have been sent two days ago, but then the Russians suddenly jumped on us. I didn't get a chance to write. I'm fine, in answer to your last letter.
We are currently besieging Port Arthur (the same name as you, as I have noted with amusement) as you receive this letter. It was getting pretty bad in the front lines now, but Yao-san's Manchuria was doing its best to offer me aid against Russia. I have refused their help many times already, but they keep insisting on send me foodstuffs to keep my fellows' spirits up. I am grateful for this kind gesture, and would like to repay them some time soon.
I hope that you will keep on supporting me throughout this entire ordeal.
Best regards from Kiku Honda.
Arthur wasn't at the front lines himself since the Anglo-Japanese treaty will only work if another nation aided Russia against Japan, but he had been secretly "supporting" (a little code word) Kiku by cooperating with Japanese intelligence against Ivan ever since.
His stations of the Indian Army in Malaya and China often intercepted and read wireless and telegraph cable traffic relating to the war, which was shared with Kiku's intel. In his turn, Kiku shared information about Russia with Arthur's intel.
In particular, British and Japanese intelligence gathered much evidence that Germany was supporting Russia in the war as part of a bid to disturb the balance of power in Europe, which led to Arthur's growing suspicion that the nation of Germany was going to be a threat to the international order, if he wasn't already.
He hoped he wasn't right, but all this evidence... Could it be a sign -?
If only he knew.
December 1904. Even while cursing the cold weather in London, Arthur was ecstatic when he heard the news that Kiku's army had successfully captured Port Arthur, his confidence in the other island nation soaring high. He hadn't imagined that Kiku will be able to hold his own alone against Ivan's fleet, let alone sink all of Ivan's battleships while fighting from land. It was a truly historical win... It was the first time he had heard of this large a scale of devastation achieved by land-based artillery against major warships. Truly fearsome...
The decisive points of the war are just going to happen, however. The true battle starts at the sea. And Kiku, as Japan, was an island nation, so it shouldn't be a problem.
He had received news in October that the Baltic nations had sent naval reinforcements while the Siege of Port Arthur was going on, but was unable to come before Kiku had successfully sunk all of Ivan's vessels in Port Arthur.
The Baltic ships had 'almost' shot at one of Arthur's ships when they were sailing by Britain. Arthur was mightily disappointed. It might have given him an excuse to join the war and give Kiku his military aid.
Bloody buggers.
In order to get to Ivan's aid as quickly as possible, the Baltic ships would have to pass between the territories of Korea and Japan itself to the port of Vladivostok. It was also the most dangerous route, since Kiku's homelands were at close proximity.
Kiku, however, was aware of the Baltic ships' progress and understood that with the fall of Port Arthur, the Russian reinforcements would try to reach the only other Russian port in the Far East, Vladivostok. He laid down battle plans, and had his ships repaired and refitted to intercept the Russian fleet.
He licked his lip slowly. This was going to be crucial.
Kami-sama help him.
1905. Arthur was drinking tea in his garden when the mail arrived. He saw that Kiku had sent him another letter. He was relieved; Kiku had taken so long at sending him another letter that he was already getting irritated over every mail he received that didn't bear his human name.
Since he had news of every battle that went on in the Pacific, he had an inkling of what this letter might contain.
To Arthur-san:
I am writing to say that I have already crushed Ivan Braginski in this war, and that all of this is finally over. Good times. I think we've been aided by the gods themselves.
I have been right in predicting that the Russian reinforcements were heading to Vladivostok and that they will be taking the riskier route to it, which is the area between my land and my brother Im Yong Soo's territory.
I anticipated that they must have decided to travel by night to avoid triggering a battle, so I decided to keep a lookout for those Russian reinforcement ships at evenings.
Unfortunately for the Russians, while in compliance with the rules of war, their two trailing hospital ships had continued to burn their lights, which were spotted by one of my merchant cruisers, the Shinano Maru.
I was able to position my fleet so that they would "cross the T" of the Russian fleet. Ivan Braginski should have sent brighter men. I engaged the ships in battle in the Tsushima Straits on May 27 and 28.
Ivan Braginski's fleet was virtually annihilated, losing eight battleships and numerous smaller vessels, while I only lost three torpedo boats and a little more than a hundred men.
After this battle, my army will now proceed to occupy the entire chain of the Sakhalin Islands to force those insolent Russians to sue for peace.
Ivan Braginski should never have provoked me in the first place. He is learning his lesson now, isn't he? Russian military is now shamed to the world, along with his allies.
I will be seeing you in London soon, Arthur-san.
Best regards from Kiku.
Arthur sighed with relief. His fears had rapidly dissipated after reading Kiku's signature. He'll die before he can admit it, but he was worried to death over Kiku's fate. He knew that he was also a nation and couldn't be killed easily, but still...
Ah, what was he thinking! Kiku might get the wrong idea if he saw Arthur was worried like this. He didn't have romantic feelings for the nation... Or did he? Kiku was just so strong and graceful and thoughtful and... Arthur ran shivering fingers over his bright hair and sighed.
Whatever, as long as Kiku was finally coming back.
Kiku visited Arthur in London later in July to renew the alliance, but they haven't a chance to talk because of Arthur's boss's pointed stares at him whenever he attempted to go over to congratulate Kiku for the victory over Russia.
He didn't understand, but his boss had explained that Japan appeared to support Indian nationalism against Britain. England didn't want to believe it, but his boss told him that this renegotiation is necessary to allow for Japan's support of British interests in India and England's support for Japanese progress into Korea.
"Kiku wouldn't do anything dishonorable to this alliance," Arthur said bluntly to his boss. "For him, honor is the most important."
"Suit yourself," his boss told him. "Even if the nation is trustworthy, if his government wasn't, then it's all the same."
Kiku visited Arthur again later in the year after the Treaty of Portsmouth had been signed, this time alone and dropping by for just a friendly visit. His face was noticeably drawn and pale as Arthur welcomed him in the large house. Arthur was a bit unsettled by the other's appearance, but decided to refrain from mentioning something about it before they sit down for some tea and biscuits.
Kiku drank his tea silently, pausing every now and then to sigh dolefully and stare gloomily at the flowers on the tea table. Arthur kept sneaking worried glances at him and finally decided to speak up after a rather forced small talk and after downing his fourth cup.
"Kiku, all right?"
Kiku started violently, almost dropping his cup. "Oh, yes, I -"
Arthur glared under his thick eyebrows. "No. You're not," he stated bluntly, pointedly staring at Kiku's trembling hand. "What's the matter?"
Kiku looked down, a blush dusting his cheek. "Nothing that I'm not particularly used to, Arthur-san. There are just some riots breaking out in a number of my major cities. Apparently public opinion was shocked by the very restrained peace terms which were negotiated at the end of my the war against Ivan." Kiku sighed deeply. "I've been feeling a bit off for days because of all the unrest, but nothing more severe than that."
Arthur relaxed his expression. "Well, I can't blame you. I know Alfred has been a bit harsh with the restrictions he has imposed on you..."
"No, I understand America-san's actions," Kiku replied gently, his face softening somewhat. "My people, however, must have been expecting that we were to gain more than what we've actually gained in this war. They must have misunderstood somehow."
"In any case, maybe it wasn't wise of me to have invited you over," Arthur mused, touching the rim of his teacup with a finger. "You're evidently not well. You might catch something if you're away from Japan while all this unrest is going on..."
"Ah, I'm fine!" Kiku interrupted quickly, the blush getting deeper and making Arthur's lip almost quirk halfheartedly in a smile. Kiku looked so adorable. "I'm already here in London, it's a waste of money if I don't spend a few days here... And it's been so long since we've last met, considering our alliance is still under effect..."
"Yeah. Almost a year and a half..." Arthur smiled at Kiku as the other nodded. "And still, nothing has changed with us."
"Ano, Arthur-san." Kiku had fidgeted a bit in his seat before continuing shyly, "I've never had the chance to thank you properly for lending me intelligence while at the battlefield. Your men's work had proved to be valuable to our plans..."
Arthur blushed. "Ah, I..." He coughed awkwardly. "Well... You did the real fighting. Lending you what we know was virtually nothing compared to what you've done. I mean... you've annihilated two of Ivan's three fleets all by yourself!" Arthur toyed with the handle of his cup.
Kiku finally smiled, a quick flash of mirth that made Arthur's heart pound harder. Okay, pretend I haven't told you that. "Thank you for the compliment, Arthur-san. Hearing that from someone like you is a rare instance. Although it is true that I've exhausted my life savings by fighting Russia..."
Arthur felt hot under the collar and decided to push his luck a bit farther. "Erm... Moving on, since you'll be staying in London for a few days, what if you stay here in the house instead of staying in a hotel? You're practically in my territory, so as a good host, I should provide you a roof over your head."
"That would be wonderful, Arthur-san," Kiku agreed, his head bobbing pleasantly. "When can I start moving in?"
"Tomorrow morning, if you'd like," replied the amiable Briton, to make it sound as if he wasn't that super eager to play as gracious host to Kiku.
"That is settled, then." Kiku rose from the table and bowed deeply. "I have to go, Arthur-san... I have to, um, write to my boss about something..."
"Oh, okay." Arthur escorted Kiku out of his house and hailed a cab for him. "See you tomorrow then. I'll have to give you a tour of London tomorrow morning."
Kiku bowed again before entering the cab and flashed another smile. "That would be wonderful, Arthur-san. I'll be looking forward to that."
And with a nod and a friendly handshake, Kiku was off, leaving Arthur standing like a fool on the sidewalk and watching after him.
Up Next:
-Renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1905 and 1911
-World War I
A/N: How do you like that? I'm a really boring storyteller….
Next chapter is the First World War!
Wait for the update guys…
And to the readers of The Diary of the Otaku Me, sorry if I made this first, had to get this out of my system first…